My bow has improved dramatically...

Due in great part no doubt to my lack of Korean language skills, smiling ingratiatingly and bowing my way out of a situation has become a commonplace affair, and what began as sort of an awkward head bob has grown into a fully-fledged daily workout routine (nearly 45° if receiving favors from an elder). It's a bit more of an energy investment to be sure, but nothing beats the joy of watching two overenthusiastic people bump their heads together on the street.

I really love the degree to which people humble themselves before one another here. In the post French revolutionary West, 'respect' is a word treated with skepticism at best. It's something struggled over in the US, and rarely exchanged among strangers. Here it's simply a way of life. Every older person you meet, you address as aunt or uncle (ajumma, ajoshi) or older brother or sister (hyong, nuna), because, at least in the old order of society, that is their role to you - even if it only lasts a moment. And in turn, all you have to do is be respectful, and bow.